‘It has a human cost’: Clinton judge blocks Trump team from firing federal workers during shutdown

A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked the Trump Administration from firing federal workers during the government shutdown.

US District Judge Susan Illston, a Clinton appointee, issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on Wednesday and stopped the Trump Administration from firing federal workers.

The Schumer Shutdown began on October 1, and the Senate has voted 9 times – and failed 9 times – to reopen the government because Schumer wants to give illegal aliens healthcare.

Layoffs of federal employees officially began last Friday as the U.S. government shutdown entered another tense phase, according to Trump administration budget chief Russell Vought, who confirmed the sweeping reductions in a social media post.

“The RIFs have begun,” Vought announced on X, using the acronym for “Reductions in Force.”

The RIFs have begun.

— Russ Vought (@russvought) October 10, 2025

Norm Eisen, the Deep State’s favorite lawyer who spearheaded the color revolution and more than 180 lawsuits against Trump, sued the Trump Administration to stop the RIFs.

Norm Eisen filed a lawsuit on behalf of federal labor unions and judge shopped to make sure his case was assigned to Judge Illston because she ruled in favor of labor unions in a RIF case in the past.

BREAKING: We are going to court to stop the Trump administration’s abuse of the coming shutdown to illegally RIF employees

So proud to be part of this lawsuit w/ @AFGENational@AFSCME @DemocracyFwd & Altshuler Berzon

Here’s the complainthttps://t.co/cDvou845BZ pic.twitter.com/bZSMUfdJsV

— Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) September 30, 2025

On Wednesday, Judge Illston issued a TRO because she said the firings appear politically motivated.

CBS News reported:

President Trump’s administration for now must stop firing workers during the government shutdown, a federal judge ordered on Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco said the cuts appeared to be politically motivated and were being carried out without much thought.

“It’s very much ready, fire, aim on most of these programs, and it has a human cost,” she said. “It’s a human cost that cannot be tolerated.”

She granted a temporary restraining order blocking the job cuts, saying she believed the evidence would ultimately show the cuts were illegal and in excess of authority.